


boyfriends

by nctdreammybubs



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Babies, Fluff, M/M, and slight jaeyong as well, and the slight nomin, dreamies are my bubs, just markhyuck, just slight mentions of the rest, markhyuck, really not much, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-15 05:17:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16056308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nctdreammybubs/pseuds/nctdreammybubs
Summary: sorry it's my first time writing! theres more than 1 chapter but i'm still tryna figure out how this works so sry! and i just wanna apologise beforehand becos i honestly cant write well and this is very evident throughout but im trying :Dok honestly this fic was q badly written im sry





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> sorry it's my first time writing! theres more than 1 chapter but i'm still tryna figure out how this works so sry! and i just wanna apologise beforehand becos i honestly cant write well and this is very evident throughout but im trying :D
> 
> ok honestly this fic was q badly written im sry

"All right thats the end of training! Rest well kids!" the choreographer shouted across the practice room. 

The boys waved good bye to each other, some already making their way out of the practice room. mark lifts his cap, running his fingers through his hair swiftly. he sighs, taking a deep breath to calm his heart that had been contracting and relaxing vigorously for the past 3 hours. he looks at the clock sitting in the corner of their practice room, and it reads "2200". 

even though he's already used to it by now, he's still finds himself getting shocked at how late practice ends every time. he eyes donghyuck who's at the other end of the practice room, dancing along lightly to a random song he'd found on the radio with jaemin, with jeno videoing the entire thing down. mark unconsciously smiles when the younger starts making exaggerated movements, and he slowly makes his way over to the three.

donghyuck does a full 360 spin only to come face to face with mark, and because he has his arms spread out, he accidentally smacks mark's shoulder. his eyes widen, but he doesn't apologise and instead bursts out into laughter.

"hyung! join us!" he grins and grabs the older's hand, forcing him to dance along. deep down mark blushes at the touch for unknown reasons, but he lets the younger drag him along, giggles escaping his mouth as they prance across the practice room. jaemin and jeno end up doubling over in laughter and even though mark knows he's probably going to regret all of this later when he watches the video that jeno took, he still follows the younger. 

when they finally plop down on the floor due to exhaustion, donghyuck lays his head on mark's thighs, closing his eyes as he's still panting. this causes mark's eyes to widen in shock, and his heart begins to race faster. he stares at the male with his head placed on his thighs, and for a moment he's unable to look away. donghyuck has sweat trickling down the side of his neck, and mark gulps unconsciously. after what mark thinks is a really long time, donghyuck picks himself off the ground. he stretches his arms upwards, and his shirt lifts up slightly to reveal his skin. mark immediately reaches a hand up to slap himself, causing the younger to turn to stare at him as if he were the weirdest creature on earth.

"hyuck, lets go for dinner," he stutters, standing up to grab his bag from the other end of the room.

"sure just let me make sure i have all my things first," donghyuck beams at mark as he ransacked rapidly through his own bag. when he's done, he picks up his bag, skipping over to mark happily. when he reaches where mark is wasiting, leaning against the door, he slings an arm around mark's neck, causing the male the stumble.

"hey, be back before 12am, the both of you!" taeyong said as he smacked both of their heads, walking out of the practice room after them with jaehyun behind him.

"nae, hyung!!" they both shouted back before donghyuck drags (literally) mark to their favourite bibimbap restaurant just round the corner. 

the two boys haven't had dinner together in a really long time and as they walked in silence along the silent street, donghyuck felt his heart begin to beat faster. 

obviously, said boy had feelings for the older male walking ahead of him, but he definitely wasn't about to ruin their friendship by confessing. he wouldn't deny that he'd tried to drop a few hints here and there as well, but he knew the older was too oblivious and naive to notice any of them. even if he did notice them, he would probably shrug it off.

"donghyuck, do you have a girlfriend?" mark asked as he hummed along to their new song. 

"n-nae? no? i don't," donghuck stuttered as the question completely threw him off. he didn't know how to react, considering that in actual fact, he didn't swing that way, and the one he had a crush on was the one who had asked him that question.

"why not? i'm sure a lot of girls would be interested in you, especially if you serenade to them. i mean, that is your only talent," mark smirked as he laughed out loud.

"oh shut up okay? i ain't just all about singing. everybody loves my rapping and dancing too. besides its the personality that matters the most, the skills and outward appearances are just plus points," donghyuck replies in a sassy tone, as he rolled his eyes. for a moment the image of mark flashes across his mind, and he blushes.

"my mum's been pressurising me to get a girlfriend," mark blurted out, before sighing.

no wonder he'd brought up this topic.

"well," donghyuck didn't know what to say, "does she know you aren't allowed to date?" "i did tell her, but everytime we talk about this she just starts talking about how she regrets having let me audition for SM," mark frowns slightly at the thought, "but to be honest, i think i'd regret it more if i didn't audition, because i wouldn't have met you," he turns to look donghyuck in the eyes. donghyuck is stunned, and there is a short moment of silence between them. slowly mark realises how misleading his words must have sounded, and he blushes a deep red, stuttering out a"i meant as friend." his heart beats like its running a marathon, but he's too focused on his own feelings to realise the effect of his words on the younger. donghyuck frowns, upset that the older had just friendzoned him unconsciously. 

"hyung, are you...against guys dating...guys?" donghyuck hesitated, somewhat afraid to hear the older's response./p>

mark stopped walking, shocked. donghyuck stopped too, looking up to look mark in the eyes, unsure of his response. what if he said yes, that he was against it? he wouldn't know how to face him everyday then. the two stared at each other in silence, before mark started chuckling. 

"i have to admit your question did surprise me, but no, i'm not against the idea of a guy dating a guy," mark shrugged his shoulders before he continued walking.

donghyuck let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in. 

"that's good," he muttered unknowingly. 

"wHAt?" mark playfully shouted in his ear, causing donghyuck to blush, but of course mark couldn't see it since it was dark.

"noTHIng" he shouted back in mark's ear before running off ahead of him, still blushing madly.

"cute," mark smiled at the boy's actions, shook his head and took off to catch up to the younger male.

donghyuck almost trips over a rock, but mark catches him right before he falls, reaching a hand out to grab the younger's wrist. mark mentally praises himself for his quick reflexes.

"stop being so clumsy, hyuck. you gotta be more careful. what are you going to do if i'm not around to catch you like that?" he furrows his eyebrows, slightly worried about the boy.

donghyuck can't hear anything except for his heart beginning to beat a million times faster as mark wraps his fingers around his wrist. 

mark tugs slightly at the younger's hand, sending him flying straight into his arms. 

donghyuck's eyes widens and he blushes a deep red at how he is literally cuddled up against mark, and he can hear the older's breathing just a few inches away from his face. he looks up to look mark in the eyes, and for a moment, mark is stunned. he wonders how donghyuck is so pretty even as a guy, and how the younger's lips look so kissable. he loses himself in donghyuck's eyes, unable to move his gaze away. but he shakes the thought off, and drops their still connected hands down to his side. 

"i'm starving, let's go now," he says as he coughs awkwardly. however his fingers reach for donghyuck's, and he intertwines their fingers. as they walk, he begins to slow down to donghyuck's pace, and as much as he would like to deny it, he feels his heart about to burst out of his chest. he would tell donghyuck that he just didn't want the younger to trip over nothing again, but he knew that was a lie. he liked the way donghyuck's hand fitted nicely with his, how it was so warm in his own.

donghyuck doesn't say anything, letting himself be dragged by the older as he knows he isn't going to be sleeping tonight (jaemin definitely wasn't going to let him sleep without any juicy details on their 'date' today). he closed his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart.

___________________

when their food came, both boys dug into their food so quickly, it was gone within minutes. 

"ah, mark hyung, i'm reallyy craving ice cream now", donghyuck whined as he shook mark's arm.

mark almost lost his sanity right then and there, and he almost let his heart take over, hands almost reaching out to pull the younger towards him. keyword, almost, because he never went through with his instincts. 

"h-here. go buy it yourself," mark handed donghyuck some money as he gestured for him to go get the ice cream by himself.

"thanks, hyung," donghyuck smiled his sweet angelic smile since he was truly happy, before taking off in the direction of the ice cream shop. 

after he left, mark sat in silence as he subtly glared at the table, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. 

recently he'd been wanting to spend more and more time with donghyuck, and he'd been constantly screaming internally when the younger would whine or was acting really cute. he found himself giving in more often to the younger, even if donghyuck was making unreasonable requests. mark admits that from the very start he already did have a soft spot for the younger, and over years the affection for the younger only grew. was it normal to find his dongsaeng this cute? sometimes he’d also feel the urge (like previously) to hug the younger out of nowhere. he shook his head and headed to the counter to pay for the meal before heading out to wait for donghyuck. 

when he saw donghyuck happily walking over with ice cream in his hands, smiling cheerfully to himself, his heart began to pick up pace and he placed his palm over his heart, hoping that it would somehow calm it down. 

"hyung, you want some?" donghyuck asked mark, as he continued licking the ice cream. seeing donghyuck happily eating the ice cream caused a smile to unconsciously creep onto mark's face. the younger was too cute for his own good.

"its fine, you can have it. let's go home," mark gestured for donghyuck to follow him. they walk side by side back to the dorm in comfortable silence. 

_____________________

the next day, donghyuck wakes up feeling slightly under the weather. but he still forces himself to go to practice.

"ya! hyuck! you've been making the same mistake over and over again. what's wrong with you today?"

"m-mianhe hyung..." donghyuck muttered to the choreographer hyung, feeling his head pound vigorously. he closed his eyes, reaching a hand up to massage his temple.

"hyuck-ah, you okay?" mark came over with a worried expression on his face, placing his hand on donghyuck's back to soothe him. soon all other nct members gathered round as well.

"donghyuck-ah, maybe you should take a break, you don't look fine," jaehyun said as taeyong grabbed donghyuck's bottle before passing it to him. donghyuck didn't hesitate to chug down as much water as possible.

"its okay. i'm sorry everyone! lets continue please," he gave everyone a quick smile and squeezed mark's arm in reassurance before returning to his position.

the nct members looked at each other in worry. mark made a mental note to watch out for the boy.

mark's eyes constantly followed the younger, and he noticed how he seemd to be having greater difficulty breathing today, his breathing inconsistent, panting more evident. donghyuck manages to last till the end of practice without collapsing. mark goes over to the younger, worry evident in his eyes. 

the choreographer was currently talking to him, and he could hear that the choreographer hyung was trying to point out areas in which donghyuck could improve in. when they were done, mark picked up donghyuck's bag and passed his water bottle to him. 

"you feeling better now?" he eyes donghyuck as the younger chugs down his water.

"nae mark hyung," donghyuck chuckles at how mark is so worried. he did have a fever but he didn't need the other members to worry needlessly over him. he didn't want to be a burden to them.

when he's just about to leave the practice room, mark calls out to him.

"hyuck, wait for me!" mark scrambles about the room, attempting to pack everything as quickly as he can. he didn't want to make the younger wait.

donghyuck leans against the door, a smile tugging at his lips at the sight of the flustered older male. he closes his eyes to rest for a moment.

they're the only ones left so they had to ensure that everything was turned off, and within a minute, mark is done. he runs over to donghyuck with a huge smile on his face. 

"let's go," he tugs at donghyuck's hand, flashing a quick smile.

donghyuck nods weakly, but before he can respond, he feel's his body going weak. he sees the world turn black for a moment and the next thing he sees is mark's worried face right in front of his.

luckily, mark is holding onto donghyuck's hand, preventing him from hitting his head when his knees go weak. panic fills mark's system as he watches the younger in his arms, evidently in pain.

"hyuck what's wrong?" mark places the back of his hand against donghyuck's forehead, and he feels it burning.

"shit you're burning up," biting his lips, mark quickly picks donghyuck up on his back. he runs towards the clinic just nearby.

"hyung, it hurts a lot," donghyuck whines with his head rested against mark's back. the pain in his head is so immense that tears begin to form in his eyes, and they slip out because he doesn't even have the energy to lift his hand up. mark feels his shirt get slightly wet and he suspects that donghyuck is crying, so he speeds up.

"hold on, hyuck. we're almost there," he huffs out, panting as they finally arrive at the clinic.

the doctor checks on donghyuck, prescribes him some medicine, and ensures mark that it was just a mild fever, and that donghyuck would be fine after taking the medicine and having sufficient rest.

mark piggybacks donghyuck all the way back to the dorm. the younger wraps his arms weakly around mark, groaning slightly at how his entire body is aching.

mark had updated the rest of nct about donghyuck's fever when they'd just arrived at the clinic, so when they arrive at the dorm, everyone is up in the living room waiting for the two to return. 

mark replies with a soft "fever, need's rest and medicine", before speedily heading to his and donghyuck's shared bedroom. he carefully places donghyuck down on the bed. the younger lets out a soft groan, opening his eyes to see mark walking away. he instinctively reaches a hand out to grab the sleeve of mark's shirt, tugging on it slightly. 

"hyung...don't leave," he makes grabby hands at mark, eyebrows slightly furrowed, causing the older to silently coo at how cute he is. 

"i'll be right back. you need to take your medicine," mark says before he literally sprints to the kitchen and back with water in one hand and the medicine in the other. 

donghyuck is already sitting up, waiting for mark to return. when mark does return, he spreads open his arms, eyes still closed, brows still furrowed. 

mark chuckles at how childish the younger is, and lets donghyuck wrap his arms around his waist, resting his head on the older's stomach.

"open up, donghyuck ah," mark whispers. donghyuck obediently opens his mouth, swallowing both the medicine and the water in a matter of seconds. 

mark places the empty cup down on the bedside table.

"hyuck, you need to get changed," he says before standing up to grab clothes from donghyuck's closet. he grabs donghyuck's favourite pair of incredibles 2 pyjamas, and heads over to the younger.

"hyung i've no energy..." donghyuck is about to flop down on the bed again when mark catches him by his arms, pulling the younger towards him.

"then i'll help you," mark says, and donghyuck doesn't refuse his help. he just obediently raises his arms for mark to help him to take off his shirt, and stands up for a split second to put on a new pair of pants. mark's face turns a deep red when the younger takes off his shirt, and he turns away to avoid staring. when donghyuck is finally done, he lets out a sigh of relief, and turns around to help donghyuck into bed. 

"hyuck i'll go bathe, be right back," to which donghyuck only nods in response, and once again he sprints off to the bathroom and back. he's done so much running in a span of 2 hours, and he breathes a sigh of relief when the hot water touches his skin.

when he's out of the bathroom and back in his and donghyuck's bedroom, he's met with donghyuck who's already snoring, deep in sleep. a smile creeps onto his face at the sight of the sleeping male, and he turns off the lights before climbing into bed with donghyuck. 

"mm..hyung?" donghyuck mutters under his breath. mark reaches a hand out to pat his head.

"its me. go to sleep, donghyuck," mark hums and he feels donghyuck snuggle further into his embrace, wrapping his arms around the older's waist. mark lazily drapes his arm around donghyuck's shoulder, pulling the younger closer towards him. soon he hears soft snores escaping donghyuck's mouth, and he himself falls asleep to the sound of these snores.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just donghyuck sorting out his feelings and mark still being confused :" (and slight nomin!! :D)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2!! enjoy:))

when donghyuck wakes up, he realises that he's back in the dorm. he feels something wet on his forehead, and thinks that it's probably a wet towel. he was about to lift his hand up to remove it when he realised that there was something, or someone, holding him down. at this point his eyes are still closed, but he picks up on the all too familiar scent of his favourite person on earth, and he opens his eyes slowly to see mark sleeping soundly. their faces are barely inches apart, and mark still has his arm wrapped around donghyuck, but over night it'd made its way down to the younger's waist.

he feels his heart began to beat noisily and his already flushed cheeks turned a darker shade of red. turning to look for his phone, he sees it sitting on his bedside table. he slowly reaches over to pick it up hoping that the older wouldn't wake up due to his movements, only to see that it was already 8am in the morning. normally by now they would be up and out eating breakfast but he would rather much skip it to spend more time in mark's arms.

mark begins to stir in his sleep, causing donghyuck to open his eyes wide to stare at the older. mark opens one eye to check on the younger male only to realise that said male was already awake and staring at him. he sits up straight immediately.

"hyuck, you're awake? how're you feeling? are you hungry? what do you want to ea-"

"ah hyung, you're so noisy early in the morning..." donghyuck whines, a blush rising to his cheeks as mark brings his hand up to place it against his forehead.

"yah, i'm just worried about you. you pabo. why didn't you tell us you were running a fever?" mark chides him, and removes the towel from donghyuck's forehead, heading to the toilet in their shared bedroom to wet it again. donghyuck pouts slightly at the loss of mark's touch, already missing the way his arm felt around his waist.

"i haven't been practising enough..."

mark came out of the bathroom with the towel in his hand. he folds it neatly before placing it on donghyuck's forehead.

"that isn't a good enough reason for you to neglect your health and to come to practice like that," mark furrowed his eyebrows.

"i just didn't want to be a burden to the group..." donghyuck mumbled as he felt his head begin to hurt again. mark's gaze softens and he grabs donghyuck's hand, squeezing it a little.

"listen. you will never be a burden, okay? if we have to, we can always practice harder on other days, i can always practice with you another time. do you know how worried we were? do you know how worried... i was?" mark hesitated to say the last sentence as he thought he would sound weird, but he said it anyway, and he meant it with all his heart. when the younger had collapsed in his arms, his mind went blank for a moment, and his heart stopped beating for a second. 

"mianhe hyung..." donghyuck pulls the covers over himself, closing his eyes to return to sleep. he's still pouting at how he doesn't have mark's arm around him but he knows he needs to recover as soon as possible. 

"its okay. now go to sleep. you're not fully recovered yet. i'll go get breakfast for you," mark says softly, standing up to leave. just as he's about to leave, he turns around to look at donghyuck, seeing that the younger had fallen asleep again, and was snoring slightly. mark chuckles at the sight, and slowly bends down to peck donghyuck on his forehead. his lips lingers for a few seconds and he reaches a hand out to pat donghyuck's head, enjoying the feeling of the younger's soft hair against his fingers. 

he stares at the younger, at how he was sleeping so peacefully, at how flushed his cheeks were for whatever reason. he notices donghyuck's long eyelashes, and his gaze slowly trails down to the younger's lips. it was parted ever so slightly, and the temptation to lean down and place a quick peck on it ran through mark's mind. he shakes his head, trying to get rid of the thought. this wasn't right.

realising what he had just done, he immediately ran out of the room with his fingers on his lips. his cheeks flushed red and his heart throbbing rapidly in his chest.

"what did i just do?"

__________________________  
the next day donghyuck is back in the practice room all recovered. mark doesn't mention anything about what he'd done the previous day, but he feels himself becoming more and more aware of the younger's presence. he sees the way donghyuck's eyes have a twinkle in them whenever he's excited, the way his lips curve upwards to form a perfect heart whenever he smiles, and the way theres a crease between his eyebrows when he's trying very hard to focus. the sound of the younger's laughter is very much like music to mark's ears, and he wonders how someone can be filled with so much joy, how he can radiate so much positivity. he feels his own mood lighten up just by looking at donghyuck.

"hyuckIEE!!!" jaemin squeals as he jumps onto donghyuck's back, causing the latter to stumble forward.

"wAH," donghyuck wraps his arms around jaemin's thighs to prevent him from falling, "you're not the lightest you know," he rolls his eyes.

"yeah yeah, you love me anyway. jeno and i just wanted to ask if you wanted to join us for dinner?" 

jaemin looks up at mark who's sitting across the room with an unreadable expression on his face, and smiled at him.

"hyung, wanna join us too?"

"sure," mark shrugged and picked up his shoe bag. jaemin jumps off donghyuck's back.

"okay, lets go!" jaemin shouts gleefully before dragging donghyuck off as the poor boy struggles to keep up with his pace, leaving mark and jeno behind. he shoots them a horrified look and mouths "save me". the two look at each other and chuckle, before leaving to catch up with the two boys.

______________________

"jeno-yah, eat more," jaemin coos as he feeds jeno a mouthful of rice. jeno eye-smiles back and opens his mouth so wide donghyuck's sure he can fit his whole fist in it. jaemin giggles at jeno's actions, pinching his nose with affection. jeno proceeds to casually drape his arm around jaemin's waist, placing his head on said male's shoulder as jaemin continues to feed him.

donghyuck rolled his eyes and pretended to gag at the couple in front of him. he already knew that the two were dating. there was no he way he wouldn't know about it because in the first place it was him who had encouraged jaemin to confess to jeno. at this point in time he was starting to regret having done so. mark however, sat there confused as to why the two males in front of him were expressing so much affection towards each other. yeah sure, skinship was normal for the dreamies and hell even the hyungs loved skinship, but wasn't this going beyond the lines of group mates skinship??

seeing how confused mark looked, jaemin looked at jeno, as if asking for his approval in breaking the news to their hyung. jeno blushed a deep red, but then nodded his head as he didn't want to keep mark in the dark about their relationship. 

"hyung...if you didn't know, me and jeno are a thing," jaemin laughed as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. 

this statement confused mark even more. 

"yeah i know, hasn't nomin always been a thing? but i thought it was just for the fans? why are you both clinging onto each other even when we're alone?" 

donghyuck who had been sitting next to mark face palmed at how naive the older boy was. 

"what i mean is, we're dating," jaemin deadpanned, internally amazed at how dumb his hyung was.

the three boys watched as mark's eyes widened in shock. for a moment donghyuck was worried that mark would start reprimanding them and start talking about how they should have known better than to get into a relationship at this point in time, but mark broke into a smile so huge, donghyuck felt as if his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

"damn, sure took you guys long enough," he laughed as he reached over to ruffle both jaemin's and jeno's hair, causing jeno to smile sheepishly to himself and jaemin to grin proudly at his boyfriend. 

throughout the entire meal, of course, jaemin and jeno continued to show affection for each other, while donghyuck and mark ate in silence. jeno and jaemin decided to head to the nearby arcade, leaving mark and donghyuck alone.

for once, donghyuck is glad that jaemin and jeno decided to go on a date because he gets the chance to be alone with mark. 

"hyuck, you already knew they were in a relationship?" mark questions, slowing down to match donghyuck's pace.

"well, yeah. in fact i did encourage jaemin to confess to jeno because it was so obvious that they were whipped for each other," donghyuck said, shrugging his shoulders. mark sighs.

"i wish i were in a relationship too. they look so happy together it makes me jealous", mark chuckles at his own words. donghyuck doesn't know how to reply. he doesn't know what mark want's to hear.

their shoulders occasionally bump into each other as they're walking. each time their finger tips slightly brush against the other's, it sends a jolt up donghyuck's spine and he hopes the older doesn't notice him shiver. mark himself isn't coping with it any better as heat rises to his cheeks every time donghyuck touches him. he peeks at donghyuck from the corner of his eyes, and sees donghyuck blushing ever so slightly. his eyes trail down donghyuck's hand, and he admires the younger's fingers. he wonders how donghyuck's fingers are so slender, and before he knows whats happening, he unconsciously reaches out to grab the younger's hand.

donghyuck's eyes widens in surprise as pink dusts his cheeks. 

"mark hyung, what are you doing?" donghyuck manages to stutter out, biting his lips. 

mark finally realises his actions, and he himself begins to blush a deeper red. 

"u-uh..."

donghyuck didn't know if whatever mark was doing now meant anything. he didn't know if mark knew how he felt. he didn't know how mark felt. 

donghyuck turns his body to face the older. mark turns to face him as well, and he realises that the younger is growing fast, and is now only a few inches shorter than he was. they were almost the same height, and mark wonders when donghyuck had grown so much. he was no longer that small boy who cried to mark about how tired he was and how much he missed his family, making mark feel even worse because his family was literally in another country. it reminded him of how he used to think he was all alone until he'd met nct, until he'd met donghyuck. donghyuck had given him a second home along with the other guys, and mark didn't where he would be today without them. especially without donghyuck.

the moonlight is bright, and it shines on donghyuck, highlighting his rosy pink cheeks, and mark's heart beats twice as fast at that moment. the two of them stare at each other and for a moment, mark forgets that donghyuck is a friend, a brother, a dongsaeng. but he's confused, so confused. what was he feeling? he didn't know. why was his heart threatening to burst? he didn't know.

donghyuck wonders if their relationship is still purely platonic, and he doesn't want to risk it. but what's been hanging onto the tip of his tongue for the past 3 years finally escapes his mouth and he feels a burden being lifted off his shoulders. he wanted the older to know.

"hyung, i like you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wew slight angst i guess :"

"hyung, i like you." donghyuck had blurted out before he could stop himself.

to say that mark was shocked was an understatement as he completely froze on the spot. regret swept over donghyuck and he wished upon the many stars above them that he could turn back time and take back his words. but it was impossible. what was said had already been said, and the damage had already been done. he sees the shock in mark's eyes and his own eyes widen as well. 

all sorts of thoughts run through mark's mind. he now knew that he definitely didn't see the younger as a friend, but he didn't know what it was that he felt. was it admiration? donghyuck's words rang in his ears and he wondered if he'd heard wrong. he'd never considered himself to be gay, and the last time he'd checked he was sure he was interested the opposite gender. so when donghyuck had confessed, he didn't know how to respond to him. 

right, all he had to do was to change the topic, and they'd be able to return back to the way they were before, was what mark thought.

mark immediately lets go of the younger's hand, reaching a hand up to rub at his neck awkwardly, and his first reaction is to laugh. 

donghyuck's eyes furrowed in confusion. what was so funny?

"hyuck of course you like me. im the best hyung."

donghyuck didn't know what hurt more. the fact that mark was laughing or the fact that mark had subtly rejected his confession. it angered him that mark took his feelings so lightly.

"i don't like you that way. do you really need me to spell it out for you? i. love. you." donghyuck sighed, clearly frustrated. 

this was it. they'd hit the end to their relationship as friends, and mark knew that there was no way to avoid the situation anymore. 

sure his heart was hammering against his chest, and he felt his entire being filled with warmth at donghyuck's words, but he just didn't know what he was feeling. he'd never felt this way towards anyone, and there was a voice nagging slightly at the back of his mind but he pushed those thoughts away. he refused to admit it. 

"thats...hyuck, you know thats impossible right? i..i'm straight and i don't...i don't like guys," mark shakes his head slowly, looking up from his fingers to look at the younger male in the eyes, regret washing over him like a tidal wave as he saw the hurt and pain in donghyuck's eyes.

donghyuck hears the sound of a heart breaking in the distance, and he wonders if its his own. when a tear finally free falls to his fingers, it gives him the confirmation that he needs to know that yes, it was him with the broken heart. it was him who'd just been rejected. it was him who'd potentially just lost his bestfriend of a good 5 years. 

however he remembers that the older is still in front of him, and that it would probably make things even more awkward if he were to break down in front of him. he masks the pain and half-smiles at mark.

"let's go home, hyung."

mark knows he saw a tear slip down the younger males face but before he could do anything about it, donghyuck had turned around and wiped it off, before turning back to face him again. this time he didn't smile like he did just 15 minuted ago, but had a smile so fake plastered on his face that mark wanted to reach his hand out to slap it off jokingly like he always did. 

mark feels a wrenching feeling in his chest, and he wishes so much that he could just take donghyuck into his arms, to run his fingers through the younger's hair, to comfort him while sitting on donghyuck's bed just like he always did. his hand unconsciously reaches out for the younger, but donghyuck is already long gone, having turned to walk off in the direction of the dorms, not waiting for the older. his hand slowly falls back to its place next to him, and he knows its his fault that donghyuck's hurt. 

he'd never wanted to hurt the younger. not when it hurt him more than it hurt donghyuck. it hurt him to see donghyuck like that but he refused to believe the part of him that tells him to not let the younger go. but he does let him go, and he regrets. he regrets this night more than any other day of his life. 

mark himself doesn't bother trying to catch up to donghyuck, and they walk with a huge gap in between them, all the way back to the dorm.

when they entered, all of nct had gathered in the 127 dorm to watch a movie. mark smacked his forehead. oh right. it was movie night.

"donghyuck! come join us! it's your incredibles 2-" jeno exclaims from one end of the couch, jaemin cuddled up against him.

but donghyuck speeds past everyone, not pausing to even greet anyone and heads straight to the bedroom he shared with mark, locking the door behind him. the movie was paused and everyone looked at mark with a puzzled look.

"what happened? did you two fight or something?" yuta questioned as he pulled winwin closer to him. said chinese boy sat up straight to look at mark with the same questioning look that everyone was giving him.

"oh, uh..." mark didn't know how to explain himself. how was he supposed to tell all his friends that he'd rejected donghyuck's confession? that would just make things even more awkward. it was already awkward enough between him and donghyuck and he didn't want to trouble the rest as well.

"its...nothing," he gulps, looking up to coincidentally make eye contact with taeyong from across the room. he knows that taeyong doesn't believe what he's saying judging from the look that he's getting from the older, but he really doesn't want to explain himself. he knows that nobody believes that "its nothing" but he hopes that they'll just let him and donghyuck live for today.

"i'll go check on him," jaemin says, worry washing over his face as he speeds to the bedroom. he knocks on the door, and it still remains closed. only when he says "hyuck? its me, jaemin," does the door open for a few seconds to let jaemin into the room. mark so desperately wants to sprint into the room to check on the younger, to wraps his arms around him, but he knows better than to do that right now. 

when jaemin doesn't come out after the next 15 minutes, jeno follows after his boyfriend into the room, and soon all the dreamies had gone in, except for him of course. how was he to face him? the dreamies probably hated him right now.

"hyung can i sleep with you tonight?" mark asked johnny as quietly as he could. johnny didn't question, knowing that something was up.

"fine. but you better tell me what happened later on."

mark nodded without a word and headed straight to his room for the night, collapsing on the couch. 

he looks out the window to see that the sky is full of stars tonight. it reminds him of donghyuck, how the younger shines so brightly no matter where he is, no matter how tired he is. mark spots the star which he thinks is the biggest and brightest, and closes his eyes, clasping his hands together to make a wish. he wishes that this night never happened, that donghyuck never confessed, that tomorrow when he wakes up, he'd still be able to see the bright smile on donghyuck's face.

________________________________

 

when mark wakes up the next morning, he looks around to see that he's not in his own room. he looks to his right, hoping to see donghyuck still snoring as usual, but the younger is nowhere in sight. instead he sees johnny and taeil in their respective beds, still deep in sleep. the all too familiar pain in his chest returns and he smiles bitterly. of course his wish wasn't granted.

he picks himself off the couch, making his way over to the door as quietly as he can in an attempt to not wake johnny and taeil up. he successfully makes his way out of the room, and he releases the breath he never realised he was holding. he sees the door to his and donghyuck's bedroom right in front of him, but he hesitates. what if the younger was already awake? 

mark bites his lip, fearing the worst situation possible. he shakes his head.

turning the door knob as gently as he could, he opened the door to see donghyuck sleeping in his bed. yes, his bed. no, not his own bed, but in mark's bed. mark's gaze softened as he walked over to the sleeping male buried underneath his blanket. he looked at donghyuck's tear streaked face, wondering if the poor boy had sobbed the entire night, eventually caving in to the need to sleep. his thoughts were proven to be right as he hears a soft whimper escape donghyuck's mouth, and catches sight of a single tear escape from his eyes. his heart tightened at the sight of donghyuck sobbing in his sleep, and he very much wanted to take the sleeping male into his arms, to comfort him, to get rid of all his sadness. it killed him to see donghyuck in such a state. but he didn't have a right to. who was he to want to do that after all he had done? he had broken donghyuck's heart, and still wasn't sure of how to answer to the younger male. he hadn't sorted out his own feelings. he had been the very one who gave donghyuck pain.

he reached a hand out to caress the younger's cheek, wiping away the tears that were threatening to fall. donghyuck stirs in his sleep, and mark freezes. however he doesn't wake up, and mark lets out a sigh of relief. his own tears threaten to fall as his heart clenches tight at the sight of the younger, and as if on cue, one falls on donghyuck's cheeks.

mark shakes his head, grabs his clothes and heads straight to the bathroom, locking himself in as well. mark didn't know why but he felt as if his heart was dying.

________________________________

donghyuck wakes up to the sun shining brightly into the room. he frowned upon realising that the stabbing in his heart had returned the moment he opened his eyes. picking up his phone, he sees that jaemin had sent him a text 2 hours ago, and that currently it was 12pm in the afternoon. had he really been sleeping that long?

_hyuck, text me when you're awake. sleep in today, i told the hyungs you aren't feeling well_

donghyuck immediately texted his friend, thankful that there was still someone who cared for him.

_technically i had one more person who cared about me, until i decided it was a good idea to destroy our relationship_ , donghyuck thought to himself as he felt tears pricking his eyes again. he closed them, hoping that sleep would eventually take over him, and that he would be able to forget about the pain. "how stupid can i be..." he planted his face into his pillow and wished that he could pack up and just leave everything behind. what was the point in staying when everything was just going to be so awkward? how was he going to face mark now? he didn't know how, and decided that he just wouldn't face him then. mark was worried when donghyuck didn't turn up for practice. he had left the dorm earlier than him because he didn't want to make donghyuck feel awkward. in fact he felt like he was about to die of nervousness because what if donghyuck was really sick? what if he’d fainted like he did last time? what if... all sorts of what ifs ran through his mind before he decided to actually ask someone if they knew why donghyuck hasn't come to practice. "jaemin, do you know why hyuck isn't here yet? is he sick? is he not feeling well?" mark questioned, anxiety taking over his system jaemin had already known what had happened, and he knew that mark wasn't to blame. neither were at fault, so he couldn't bring himself to be angry with mark either because the older male was clearly extremely concerned about donghyuck. it was so easy to see, the look of pure panic in his eyes. "he's...not feeling well today," jaemin did a half-smile, then looked up from his phone to look mark in the eyes. he wasn't sure if he should tell mark that he knew what happened. mark nodded slowly, thoughts running wild in his head. was it because of him that donghyuck was feeling unwell? mark couldn't stop thinking about the younger male the entire time, and everyone could tell that his mind was somewhere else. he tried to stay focused. but thoughts of donghyuck occupied his entire mind. before he knew it, he was constantly looking towards the clock, hoping for practice to end as soon as possible. after practice, mark ran to the nearby convenience store to grab some of donghyuck's favourite snacks, hoping that he and donghyuck would be able to talk about what happened yesterday, and to also check up on the boy. when he returned to the dorm, he realised that the other members weren't back yet, seeing how their front door wasn't flooded with shoes. walking into the living room, he sees donghyuck sitting alone watching the television. upon hearing the door open, donghyuck looked up at it in surprise. he wasn't expecting them to be back this fast, considering how they always spend at least an hour fooling around in the practice room before actually leaving it. he looked up to lock eyes with the male he'd decided to avoid no matter what, feeling his heart sink. mark looked at donghyuck, hair uncombed, dressed in his adorable pyjamas, cuddling with his favourite soft toy, the tv playing incredibles 2. what he didn't miss was that donghyuck looked drained, so drained that it hurt to look at him, his eyes puffy and red. when he saw donghyuck turn from the tv to look at him, his heart dropped seeing the smile on donghyuck's disappear almost immediately. the two males stared at each other for a good minute before mark decided to speak up. "hyuck i boug-" before mark could finish his sentence, the younger male had picked himself off the couch and sped off to the room, once again locking himself in. it hurt him to do so but it hurt him even more to look at the male who had rejected his feelings. mark stood stunned, unsure of what had just happened. _did donghyuck just avoid him?_

he feels tears threatening to fall again, and he takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down.

maybe he just needed more time.

this became a norm between them. every time mark tried to get close to donghyuck in hopes of getting the younger to talk to him, it would only result in donghyuck running off in the other direction, or turning his attention to someone else.

soon it got on mark's nerves and he couldn't take it anymore. the stress and pressure had been getting to him, and the fact that he and donghyuck still hadn't talked about that night irked him even more. he knew they had to talk about it, and he wanted to talk about it.

mark had waited for donghyuck to come out of the recording studio, immediately grabbing his wrist to drag him off before the younger male could even register what was happening.

when mark finally stopped in their practice room, donghyuck struggled to get his hand out of mark's hold.

"let go of me," he said as calmly as he could, knowing full well on the inside that he was dying to tell the older male to hold him, to envelope him in a warm hug. 

"no. not until you talk to me. why are you avoiding me?" mark tries his best to keep his cool, knowing that getting mad at the younger right now would not result in anything pretty.

"why would i not?" donghyuck retorted, wishing that he could just get out of there immediately.

"then why would you? i've been trying to talk to you, i've been trying to get us back to how we were before." mark felt his patience running out.

"what was i supposed to do? did you expect me to be running to you after you'd rejected me? was i supposed to act like nothing happened? was i supposed to act like the hyung i liked never completely rejected me and even told me it was impossible between us?" donghyuck hissed back at mark, his voice faltering towards the end. tears welled up in his eyes again.

a part of mark softened after hearing what donghyuck had said. but he snapped.

"well yeah maybe if you didn't tell me something like that nothing would have happened, right? then what did you expect me to do? did you expect me to accept your feelings? that would have just been weird, and i don't even like you like that. you're my younger brother and thats all you'll ever be," mark snapped before he could stop himself. when he realised what had left his mouth, his eyes widened. 

donghyuck felt another stab at his heart.

"donghyuck i didn't mean-"

"wow. okay. at least now i know what i am to you. and i didn't know you thought i was weird," he laughed bitterly, looking down at the ground, refusing to let mark see the tears forming in his eyes.

"donghy-"

"that's haechan to you. i don't want people i don't trust calling me donghyuck."

mark's heart almost stopped on the spot. first, donghyuck had called him mark, not hyung. that only signalled that the male was definitely pissed. and now he said he didn't trust him.

"see you at the dorm...mark."

donghyuck said as he strode past mark out of the practice room, wiping his tears that were already falling, not even sparing the older a glance.

he didn't trust him. no it wasn't donghyuck's fault. it was all his fault. his donghyuck didn't trust him anymore. he'd lost donghyuck's trust the moment he'd snapped at him, and he wanted to punch himself.

a tear fell onto the ground as he stood once again enveloped in silence. before he knew it, tears were streaming down, and his heart ached. he felt like he was breaking down on the inside, his heart cracking into pieces. he didn't know why he'd said what he'd said, and he wished at the moment right then that he could take all his words back. but once again, it proved to be impossible because donghyuck never turned back to wrap his arms around the older, to comfort him, to tell him that everything was okay. 

dropping his head into his hands, mark crouched on the floor, letting out a silent whisper.

"what have i done...?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mark finally realises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i kinda have a lot of scenarios in my head but writing isnt my forte so i kinda have trouble making it interesting :"

"are you stupid?" jaemin's voice rang in mark's ear as he hissed through the phone. mark didn't know how to respond, too numb to say anything. when he didn't answer, jaemin carried on.

"if you're going to carry on like that then you shouldn't have given him hope in the first place," and the call ended before mark could even breathe a word out. 

mark stares at his phone. jaemin had never been one to flare up for no reason, and this meant he really screwed things up. 

he looked up from his phone to observe his surroundings. where was he?

oh right. he was still in the practice room. how long had he been there? what time was it? he didn't know, he didn't care. he just wanted donghyuck back.

what was so ironic was that he'd been the one to hurt donghyuck, but here he was, crying over the fact that he hurt him.

__________________________________

when jeno finally came running into the practice room who knows how many hours later, he discovers mark in the corner of the room. 

mark hears the boy mutter out a "hyung i found him," but he doesn't bother to look up. he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

jeno walks over to him and plants himself down on the floor next to him.

"hyung..what happened?"

mark shook his head. he didn't really want to talk about it. he knew it was his fault. he didn't know why he felt what he felt for donghyuck. a part of him still refused to admit that he saw the younger as more than just a younger brother.

"i sort of heard about it from jaemin...care to tell me about it?" jeno started off soft, knowing that mark was probably in a very fragile state of mind.

he hesitated. he didn't want to trouble jeno with stupid things such as his feelings. he was the hyung, he wasn't supposed to worry the younger members with such things. but he couldn't take it anymore. 

"hyuck hates me," he choked out, tears once again welling up in his eyes at his own words. he then began to explain everything that had happened to jeno, about donghyuck's confession, about the rejection, about what he'd said to donghyuck a good 5 hours ago when practice ended. 

"he hates me now and i don't blame him. i deserve it. i just don't know why it hurts so much. it hurts to even look at him, it hurts to see him sad and all i wanna do is just hold him in my arms, you know? i want to take his hand in mine, and i want him to lean on my shoulder like he used to. jeno-ah, am i...am i weird?" mark looked to the boy sitting next to him, eyes filled with uncertainty.

upon hearing mark's words he began to feel bad for his hyung. sure it was his fault for snapping at donghyuck and for being insensitive, but it wasn't his fault that he'd grown up being straight. it was normal for him to be confused about his feelings that he'd suddenly developed for a male who he'd always thought of as a younger brother. 

"hyung thats not being weird."

mark looks at jeno with a pleading look in his eyes, desperate for the brunette in front of him to answer his questions, give him an answer to his own feelings.

"then what is it?" jeno half smiled at mark, letting a sigh slip out of his mouth. 

"that's being in love."

silence enveloped the two males as mark tried to process what jeno had just said. love was a big word, and he could hear from the back of his mind how his mum had first introduced the idea of love to him.

_"mum, what's love?" a 5 year old mark turned with wide inquisitive eyes to stare at his mother, causing his mother to chuckle. she crouched down to meet his eye level, reaching a hand out to pat his soft hair._

__

_"love, my dear, is what you feel when you want to spend your life with someone forever. you never want to lose them, and they make you happier than anything else in the world can. you'd be willing to do anything to see them happy, and when they're sad, you unconsciously become sad too. for example, i love you mark," she finished, leaning forward to peck mark on the forehead._

_'then i love you too!" mark excitedly beamed at his mum, bursting into endless laughter when his mum pulls him into her embrace._

__the image of donghyuck flashed across his mind. he always loved it when the younger smiled, and sometimes he found himself smiling unconsciously upon seeing donghyuck's face. the thought of losing donghyuck crosses his mind, and he panics for a moment._  
_

___"l-love?" of course he loved donghyuck. he loved all of the nct members. he loved taeyong, jaehyun, taeil, lucas, jungwoo, chenle, jisung...then it dawned upon him. he didn't love donghyuck the way he loved them. he loved donghyuck in the 'i'd give up anything to see you happy' way. the younger had been there since the moment he'd stepped foot into korea, and he knew that no matter what, the one thing he'd always want was to see donghyuck happy._ _ _

___mark loved music. but he loved donghyuck more. he was willing to give up anything and everything just to see the younger with a smile on his face. donghyuck had this effect on him where whenever the younger was happy, mark felt his day unconsciously become better, and he would go about the day with a better mood as well. to him, donghyuck was like the sun. he brightened up mark's days, he brightened up mark's life._ _ _

___"i love him," he turned to look at jeno, an unreadable expression on his face._ _ _

___"i love him," he repeated again, as if seeking clarification from jeno, to which the younger nodded in response._ _ _

___"i...love donghyuck," realisation hit him at the speed of lightning._ _ _

___he loved donghyuck._ _ _

___panic filled his system as he whipped his head to look at jeno._ _ _

___"i-i love him. but he hates me now. what do i do? jeno help me please i don't know what to- i don't want to lose him," mark practically started begging jeno. flustered, jeno didn't know how to respond. thinking that jeno wasn't willing to help him, tears continued streaming down his face. his breaths became ragged as he swiped his hair back in frustration. losing donghyuck would be equivalent to losing the world to him. he buried his face in his hands, letting the tears free fall to the ground._ _ _

___"alright hyung i'll help you," jeno finally said after a long while._ _ _

___________________________ _ _

___"are you stupid?" donghyuck whined as he heard his bestfriend hiss over the phone. he was sure the boy was currently talking to mark, but everything hurt too much for him to be bothered. jaemin hung up and immediately turned around to envelope donghyuck in a hug. donghyuck had ran straight over to the dream dorm and when jaemin opened the door, he came face to face with a donghyuck who looked so heartbroken, it broke his heart to look at his best friend._ _ _

___he didn't question, immediately letting donghyuck into, leading him into his shared bedroom with jeno. donghyuck refused to tell him anything, until he finally broke down crying in jaemin's arms._ _ _

___"hyuck, you can stay here for the next few days if you want to. you know we'll always welcome you," concern spread across jaemin's face as he glanced at the male in front of him who looked extremely vulnerable at the moment. he could more or less guess what had happened. he didn't need to look twice at donghyuck's face to know that the male was heartbroken._ _ _

___"yeah...jaemin-ah, he hates me," donghyuck's voice cracked at the end as he struggled to speak with tears running down his face. his breath hitched every so often, and he felt the pricking in his heart pick up speed. mark had hurt him, but he felt as if it was his fault._ _ _

___"if i hadn't confessed this would never have happened. if i'd kept my feelings to myself, we would still be fine. jaemin, i want him back," the older of the two broke down into a series of tears. it became harder to breathe, and for a split second donghyuck wished he could just forget everything. the look of pure anger in mark's eyes, the way his words dripped with disgust, it scared donghyuck. he didn't know mark has such a side to him, and it frightened him._ _ _

___jaemin didn't know what to say. it was painful for him to see his best friend looking so broken and so weak. donghyuck had always been the one to bring joy and happiness to everyone around him, and it was so unusual for the older to be all gloomy._ _ _

___"hyuck..you still have me," jaemin had known donghyuck for a really long time and this was the first time he'd seen donghyuck like that._ _ _

___"he doesn't love me, he hates me,"donghyuck sobbed into jaemin's shoulder._ _ _

___"that's his loss then. i love you, the hyungs love you, the dreamies love you, we all love you. you know that right?" jaemin spoke softly as he pulled donghyuck away to hold him at arms length away, looking donghyuck in the eyes. he hoped that his best friend would be able to sense the sincerity in them, and that donghyuck would know that no matter what, he would always be there for him. jaemin couldn't deny that he did want to punch his hyung right at that moment, but he knew that it would only hurt donghyuck more, seeing the team falling apart just because of him and mark. and the last thing he wanted to happen was for donghyuck to give up on them, on mark, and on himself._ _ _

___donghyuck nodded, once again leaning forward to bury his face in jaemin's chest. jaemin didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around the other, his hand running up and down his back in a soothing manner, hoping that it would help to calm donghyuck down._ _ _

___soon donghyuck's breathing steadies, and he's takes a deep breath, tears still running quietly down his face._ _ _

___"what would i do without you," he sighs, arms still wrapped around jaemin. jaemin chuckles._ _ _

___"not possible. i'd enter your life no matter how much you don't want me to. you've always been there for me and now it's my turn to be here for you," jaemin grins, slapping donghyuck's arm lightly. this causes donghyuck to laugh slightly, brightening up the mood slightly._ _ _

___ _

___"ya jisung! move your fatass head i can't see or hear whatever they're saying"_ _ _

___"how about you grow taller?"_ _ _

___"can the both of you just stop fighting and quieten down?"_ _ _

___donghyuck eyes jaemin through the tears, glaring at the male for forgetting to lock the door. jaemin just shrugged his shoulder and raised his eyebrows before heading over to the door, pulling it open only for 3 boys to fall right on top of each other._ _ _

___renjun is the first to get up since he was on the top, and he fumbles with his fingers nervously. he senses donghyuck glaring at them from the bed, and he knows better than to look at jaemin now._ _ _

___"uh...hi...?" he smiles, trying to ease the tension._ _ _

___"care to explain why you guys were eavesdropping on us?" the three boys looked up to see jaemin smiling a smile so wide it actually scared them._ _ _

___"uh...we were just worried..." chenle pouted, looking at the floor._ _ _

___"hyuck-ah, are you oka- wait. were you crying?" renjun walked over to the male who had wrapped himself in the blankets like a burrito, wearing a worried expression on his face. donghyuck only hummed in response, muttering a soft "i'm fine", too tired to reply._ _ _

___"stop lying. you definitely aren't fine," renjun reached over to wrap his arms around the boy, struggling to do so as the addition of the fluffy blanket made it more difficult for him to reach his hands around._ _ _

___"yeah, hyung you can tell us anything, you know?" jisung added from the side, scratching the nape of his neck awkwardly._ _ _

___seeing that even jisung, who rarely ever bothered himself with matters not involving him, was concerned about him, donghyuck felt warmth seep through his entire being. he hesitated, but he he still told them anyway. he trusted them after all._ _ _

___"well he's just plain stupid then," jisung had blurted out immediately after donghyuck had shared what had happened. it definitely shocked donghyuck that jisung would say that considering how mark was their hyung, but he didn't know that on the inside, everyone agreed with what the maknae said._ _ _

___"even though thats not the way to talk about your hyung, i agree with you for once. donghyuck, its not your loss okay, its his loss," renjun said, ruffling donghyuck's hair with his hand, flashing the other a comforting smile._ _ _

___maybe they were right. maybe it was mark's loss. maybe it was better for him to get over mark. he knew they were right. but why did it hurt him this much to tell himself that? he'd had a crush on mark since the moment he'd set eyes on the older, and he knew he was in too deep for him to just "get over it"._ _ _

___"so uh...group hug?" chenle beamed, his dimples showing, stretching his arms out._ _ _

___donghyuck rolled his eyes._ _ _

___"get your nosy asses over here."_ _ _

___at that moment, donghyuck thanked the heavens for their "nosy asses"._ _ _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeyey nth much but i just love markhyuck <3

for the past few days, donghyuck hadn't returned to the 127 dorm. when mark went back to the dorm on the day they fought, the hyungs knew better than to question him after seeing the look on his face. so they told him to wash up, to take a rest, and to fill them in on the details the next day instead. and he did tell them.

"that's just fucked up man," yuta let out before he could stop himself. sicheng slapped his arm, earning a whine and a "what? its true..." from the japanese male.

"i know," mark managed to croak out, his throat sore from all the screams of frustration he'd let out the night before.

"i really regret it..i love him," mark confesses as a tear slips out of his eye, "and i did the worst thing possible to him. he probably hates me now."

"yuta's right," doyoung spoke up after a long while, "but i don't think he hates you. he's probably feeling the same way you do now, and he probably just needs some time to cool down."

"what...what should i do?" mark looked at his hyungs, desperate for help. the past few days he'd been sleeping alone, he had nightmares every night. each and every one reminded him of the fact that donghyuck wasn't there to comfort him when he woke up to the cold and still air in the room, no donghyuck cuddled up against him. emptiness was all he felt.

"you should probably give him some space first. then find a good opportunity to talk to him about it," jaehyun suggested, ruffling mark's hair as he stood up to grab a drink.

and mark did give donghyuck space. he waited patiently for the younger male to approach him, or even look in his direction, but it never happened. donghyuck avoided him like he was a parasite, except of course, when they were in front of the camera. when mark opened his mouth to say something, donghyuck either walked off or pretended to not hear anything. 

 

the one and only time they talked after that was after a vlive where the dreamies were talking about future promotions. donghyuck and mark had sat at opposite ends, obviously not wanting to provoke the other.

"hyuckie hyung, why are you so quiet? the comments asked," chenle questioned, turning to smile widely at donghyuck.

donghyuck simply looked up and yet again plastered another fake smile on his face, saying that it was nothing. mark knew it wasn't nothing.

"mark, can you hug haechan and say a few words of encouragement?" jeno spoke, reading off the screen one of the comments that the fans had written. he turned to mark and winked at him. mark was greatful for jeno's help. the younger had constantly tried to give him and donghyuck time alone, but all turned out to be failed attempts. one time jaemin even glared at his boyfriend, not liking how mark constantly depended on his boyfriend for a chance to speak to donghyuck.

donghyuck despised the fact that mark only wouldn't take the initiative to talk to him. 

mark looked over at haechan, only to be met with a donghyuck who looked so unwilling.

"hyuck ah, lets work hard together."

he walked over to where donghyuck was, pulling him in for a short hug before returning back to his seat, blushing a deep red.

"nae hyung~" donghyuck had replied. to the fans donghyuck probably looked happy, but the male was extremely good at hiding his own feelings. it upset him how mark could return to his usual self even though they were technically still 'fighting'. it irked him that he was the only one letting himself be affected by this entire matter, and the feeling of regret, hurt returned once again. he slouched in his seat, lost in his own thoughts. 

he knew that for things to continue as per normal, he had to mask his own feelings, just like mark did.

 

as each day passed, the two grew even more distant, and donghyuck grew thinner and thinner. mark himself hadn't been eating well, but donghyuck had easily lost a few kilograms in a span of 1 month. his eyebags grew heavier, the spark in his eyes extinguished, the smile on his face getting faker by the day. sometimes he didn't even bother faking a smile.

mark hated how the younger was coping with the issue. whenever he tried to bring it up, the younger would simply dismiss it with a simple shake of his hand, and mark would be forced to change the subject. at least there was improvement though, donghyuck didn't avoid him like the plague now.

however it was still difficult for mark to approach the younger, and each time required a great deal of courage. his palms always got extremely sweaty, and he would unconsciously bite his nails until donghyuck finally stopped him after seeing that it was close to bleeding. donghyuck would then tend to his slightly bleeding finger, taking out the box of plasters he always had with him just for this situation.

 

the fans were also beginning to notice the distance between the two, and how they never fooled around each other anymore. their instagram accounts were flooded with comments asking about what had happened to "markhyuck" as mark had managed to find out. when he found out about it, the hyungs had teased him non stop about how red his cheeks were.

mark felt his days get lonelier by the day, waking up to donghyuck either already out of bed or still sleeping in his own bed. he often found himself unconsciously  
reaching a hand out, looking for the younger's waist to wrap his arms around it only to find that the spot which donghyuck used to sleep in was empty. 

 

donghyuck didn't feel like eating. he dedicated himself to his career, practising non-stop every single day from day till night. the only times where he did leave the practice room were to go to the toilet, or to go back to the dorm to crash on his bed. it was the only way he could keep his mind off mark.

he knew everyone was worried, which is why he always tried to keep the smile on his face, no matter how much he was hurting on the inside.

and then one day it finally happened. they were on break in the practice room, donghyuck in a corner by himself. mark watches the younger dancing in the corner, moving his body in a way that made him seem as light and vulnerable as he probably was, feeling once again the desire to walk over to wrap his arms around him, to whisper apologies a million times over to him, to bury his face in the younger's neck.

donghyuck swears that one moment he sees himself dancing in the mirror, and before he knows it he's falling to the ground.

oh no. this is it, he's finally reached it, his breaking point, donghyuck thinks to himself, letting his eyes shut fully as he finally hits the floor.

mark's eyes widen immediately and he scrambles over to where donghyuck is, tripping over his own feet. his heart drops when he realises that donghyuck isn't conscious.

"hyuck? HYUCK? wake up, please, god please don't do this to me," mark doesn't even realise he's crying until he sees the tears drop on donghyuck's face.

"mark, we have to get him to the hospital now," johnny tries to say as calmly as he can, but of course everyone was panicking on the inside.

mark's tears continue falling, but he nods knowing that he has to get donghyuck help immediately. he doesn't hesitate to pick donghyuck up in his arms bridal style, running towards the car. he feels himself about to hyperventilate during the drive to the hospital as he brings donghyuck's hand up to his mouth, gently kissing his fingers. mark closes his eyes, somehow hoping that it would help to calm him down a little, but all he sees in his head is the image of donghyuck falling to the ground, which causes more tears to escape his eyes.

donghyuck is immediately attended to by doctors, and mark is forced to leave his side. he ends up sitting outside, his face once again buried in his palms. the rest are either sitting on the floor, or leaning against the wall. jaemin sat next to mark, muttering a soft "he'll be fine". he reached out to pat mark on his back, running his hand up and down in an attempt to calm him down.

jaemin the older cared for him, and that mark was probably blaming himself for what had happened to donghyuck.

all sorts of thoughts ran through mark's mind. what if something were to happen to donghyuck? what if he lost donghyuck? why hasn't he been able to notice how weak and fragile donghyuck actually was? who was he to say that he loved donghyuck if he hadn't been able to protect donghyuck?

"its all my fault..." he muttered to no one in particular. taeil's eyes soften upon hearing what mark had said. he strode over to where mark was, bending down to look at mark's face.

"mark, it isn't your fault. it's nobody's fault. let's just wait patiently okay? donghyuck's a fighter," mark nodded his head in agreement.

he knew donghyuck was a fighter, but he wasn't sure. no he wasn't doubting donghyuck, but who knew... what if he didn't want to face mark ever again? what if he no longer returns to the way he was before all these happened?

just then the door to the emergency room opened, and the doctor stepped out. mark looked up immediately, his neck making a soft "crack" from having looked down at his feet for too long.

"is lee donghyuck's family here?"

mark scrambled to his feet immediately. he hesitated because technically they weren't blood family, and they definitely weren't boyfriends. 

"he is," jaemin points to mark and the older nods at the pink haired male, silently thanking him.

"is he alright?" mark turns his attention to the doctor, panic once again coursing through his body.

upon seeing the worry and panic on boy's face, the doctor breaks into a smile, and reaches a hand out to ruffle mark's hair.

"don't worry. he'll be fine. its a good thing you guys brought him here on time, or else it could have been worse. has he been eating?"

"no, he's been eating too little," mark croaks out, running a hand through his hair.

"well, he needs to start eating more.right now he's running a fever, but its not anything serious. once he wakes up, if he wants to, he can be discharged from the hospital," he addresses all of nct before turning to mark.

"take good care of him yeah?" he smiles and walks off after seeing mark nod his head vigorously.

mark immediately pushes open the door to donghyuck's room. he sees the younger sleeping peacefully, the most peaceful he's seen donghyuck the past 1 month.

his heart aches seeing donghyuck in such a state. once again tears begin to well up in mark's eyes as he collapses into the seat next to donghyuck's bed. he feels the rest of nct entering the room after him, taeyong and jaehyun right behind him.

mark observed donghyuck once again. the furrow between his brows were gone, soft snores escaping his mouth, indicating how exhausted he was. mark's eyes drop to his hands. his arm had gotten so much thinner that now it was so easy for mark to wrap his entire palm around it, his fingers so bony it looked as if it were all bones and no fats. 

mark picks up the sleeping male's hand, bringing it to his lips. he missed donghyuck. he missed his smiles, the way he'd always brighten up the mood, the spark in his eyes, the way he'd cuddle up to mark in the middle of the night, and the way he'd sing softly in mark's ear when the latter woke up to nightmares in the middle of the night. he kisses his knuckles, a sob escaping his mouth.

"i...i'm so sorry hyuck, i miss you so much, please wake up."

"mark maybe you should go home and take a rest. we'll call you the moment he wakes up," lucas spoke as he placed a hand on mark's shoulder.

mark shook his head.

"i want to be here when he wakes up," mark says softly, eyes never leaving donghyuck.

everyone nodded in understanding, leaving to go back to the dorm since only 1 person was allowed to stay with him.

______________________

donghyuck doesn't know where he is. wasn't he just in the practice room?

he openes his eyes slowly, trying to take in the sight around him. then it dawned upon him.

"oh right, i fainted..." to be honest he didn't expect them to actually send him to a hospital. it wasn't even that serious, not to him at least.

he was about to bring his left hand up to rub his eyes when he realised that someone was holding onto his hand. he turns his head to the left, to see none other than the boy he'd been avoiding since forever. mark was sleeping with head on his top of his right arm, the other keeping a tight hold on donghyuck's wrist.

donghyuck's eyes softened, wondering if the boy had been sleeping there since the moment he stepped foot into the hospital. he looked out the window. the sun had already set and it was dark outside, meaning the boy had been here since morning. he wondered if he had eaten anything.

reaching his free hand over, donghyuck softly ran his fingers through mark's hair, enjoying the feeling of mark's newly dyed black hair against his fingers.

the older stirred in his sleep, causing donghyuck to freeze on the spot.

"mm..donghyuck...?" mark opened one eye, sleep still taking control over his system. when he heard donghyuck hum a soft "mm" in reply, his head shot up immediately.

"h-hyuck, you're awake," his voice comes out so soft and coarse even he himself is shocked.

before donghyuck could reply, he was cut off by mark.

"yah, how many times have i told you?! you're supposed to eat your meals, get enough rest, and not overwork yourself. do you have any idea how worried i was?! haven't we already agreed on this? that you'd never overwork yourself?" a crease formed between mark's eyebrows as he glared at donghyuck.

the younger cowered under mark's glare. initially his eyes were widened because mark had never been this pissed off, especially not at him.

"n-nae, mark hyung..." he stuttered, slightly afraid of mark.

mark's eyes widen once again as he realised that he'd snapped at the younger, again. he mentally slaps himself, looking down to his and donghyuck's fingers which were still intertwined. 

awkward silence fell between the two boys and donghyuck coughed, tugging slightly at his hand. mark then realised that he'd still been holding on to donghyuck's hand. his face flushed a deep red when he realised it, and he let go immediately, reaching behind his neck to scratch at it awkwardly.

donghyuck stared at his hand that no longer had mark's palm around it. he didn't want to admit it but he missed the warmth of mark's hands. the atmosphere was slowly getting even more awkward by the minute. donghyuck had been thinking if he should apologise to mark. after all, he did put him in a difficult position, and he wanted nothing more than for them to return to the way they were before. 

"hyung-"

"hyuck, i'm sorry," mark muttered out, refusing to look at the younger in the eyes.

donghyuck's eyes widened in shock. why was mark apologising to him? it wasn't mark's fault that he himself had feelings for the latter.

"w-why-"

"let me explain," mark finally brought himself to look donghyuck in the eyes.

he'd been thinking about how he'd confess to donghyuck for the longest time ever, and he never expected himself to be doing it in the hospital. to say he was nervous was an understatement. his palms were sweaty and he knew he was bound to trip over his own words.

"i...i know we haven't been talking," he starts off unsure, glancing up to look at donghyuck. the younger only looked back at him with a confused expression. however donghyuck's gaze softens when he sees tears starting to form in the older's eyes, reaching his hand up to wipe at the edge of the mark's eyes.

"i'm sorry hyuck...i shouldn't have said what i said to you, i was insensitive. i was unsure of my own feelings because heck everytime i look at you i just want to hold you and my mind just blanks out because all i'm thinking of is you. damn it," mark face palmed, "i must sound so stupid right now."

"but let me continue. that day," he took in a shaky breath," i wasn't sure. i didn't know what i felt towards you. i grew up being taught that guys were supposed to fall in love with girls, and not...guys, so when you confessed to me i didn't know what to do. i'd notice a long time ago that you meant more to me than just a friend, but i just couldn't bring myself to accept it, but now i know," mark grabbed donghyuck's hand again and he looked into the younger's eyes, feeling confidence surge through his veins as he searched deep into donghyuck's eyes.

donghyuck felt his heart pick up pace, as he stared into the eyes of the male in front of him. 

 

"i love you."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeyey nth much but i just love markhyuck <3

"y-you what?" was donghyuck's immediate response.

mark takes another deep breath, his hands trembling evidently.

"i love you, hyuck."

he hoped the younger would be able to sense his sincerity as he gently squeezed donghyuck's hands that felt so tiny in his own.

donghyuck's heart throbbed against his chest. he didn't know how to respond. feeling tears welling up in his eyes, he picks up his phone.

mark frowned. was this donghyuck's way of getting back at him for rejecting him a month ago?

"hyuck, what are you doing..?"

donghyuck looked up at mark with tear streaks on his face.

"g-googling how to respond when the person you love tells you they love you," he chokes out, a soft sob escaping his mouth as he turns his phone towards mark to show him.

sure enough the words in the search bar were "waht to do wehn teh perosn you love says they love yuo 2". he'd messed up a few words here and there because of his trembling fingers, but google knew just what he meant. warmth filled mark's entire being as he jumped up to wrap his arms around donghyuck, revelling in how warm donghuck felt. donghyuck reach around to wrap his arms around mark's neck, burying his face in the crook of the older's neck.

after a solid 5 minutes, the two were still in the same position, and donghyuck was still weeping into mark's shoulders. this worried mark a little. was donghyuck in pain?

"hyuck, you okay?" mark pulled apart to cup donghyuck's face within his hands. poor boys eyes were extremely red, and his breath was still hitching every so often due to his crying.

"y-yeah...i just- don't know how to feel. my chest feels like its about to explode in happiness," he mumbles between the sobs, finally leaning back as his back was beginning to ache. mark's hand unconsciously makes it way to donghyuck's face, cupping the younger's cheek. donghyuck leans into his touch, and mark's thumb swipes across the edges of the younger''s eyes to wipe away his tears.

"then feel happy, because when you're happy, i'm happy," mark grinned as he pointed to his own chest before leaning forward to peck donghyuck's forehead.

"you're so ugh. gosh i must look so ugly right now," donghyuck pouted, sending mark into a frenzy as he was so tempted to just lean forward and peck him on the lips instead. but no, mark prided himself in being a man with great self-control.

"no, you're literally the cutest thing and most beautiful person alive baby," mark nuzzles donghyuck's nose with his own, pinching his cheek in the process.

"don't call me that," heat rose to donghyuck's cheeks, and he lightly slaps his own cheeks.

"never. you love it, just admit it," the older smirked as he leaned forward to peck donghyuck on his forehead. moving himself up on the bed to sit next to donghyuck. he reached an arm around to grab donghyuck's waist, planting his face in donghyuck's hair. he took in a deep breath, smelling a mixture of the minty shampoo that donghyuck used everyday, and he loved it. it smelt just like donghyuck, it smelt just like home.

"i-"

the door opens before donghyuck can open his mouth to defend himself against mark's claim. he blushed a deeper red as he knew the older was right, but he was never going to admit to that.

"donghyuck? you're awake!" jaemin runs over to the bed, jeno following closely behind. jaemin had bought food for mark, worried about the older as he hadn't left donghyuck's side since the moment he'd been admitted into the hospital.

when he saw the position mark and donghyuck were in, he smiled a cheeky grin.

"so, what's up?"

"donghyuck-"

"nothing," donghyuck whines, slapping mark's arm as he glared at the older. jaemin only wiggled his eyebrows in response.

"alright, since you say its nothing, i'm just going to assume that you're still having your one-sided crush on-"

"jaemin shut up," haechan whips his head around to glare t

"oh its no longer unrequited love," mark chuckles, taking donghyuck's hand in his own. the younger does not pull away in response, and only blushes furiously, his ears turning redder than they already were. jaemin rolls his eyes even though he knows he's smiling.

"oh spare us the sappy stuff please," to which jeno hums in response, wrapping jaemin in a hug from behind.

"it's not like you guys don't do the same-"

the door opens again to reveal taeyong and jaehyun, hand in hand. what they didn't expect was for everyone to be staring at them as they walk through the doors, so they both immediately untangle their intertwined fingers and cough nervously.

taeyong decides to walk over first, jaehyun following closely behind while fumbling with his fingers.

"donghyuck, are you feeling better?"

"yup, am i allowed to be discharged today?"

"yup you are," taeyong looks over to mark sitting next to donghyuck on the bed, his arm still draped around donghyuck's waist, before he smirks and raises an eyebrow at the two boys, "you guys have some explaining to do when we get home."

"not you too hyung!" once again donghyuck whines. but mark doesn't bother trying to defend himself as he's too mesmerised to bother with what's happening. he stares at donghyuck the entire time, unable to take his eyes off the beautiful boy next to him. he always found donghyuck's sun kissed skin extremely beautiful. he eyes the moles on the younger's face, eyes slowly trailing down to his neck until he's unable to spot any more. how lucky was he to be in love with this boy, and how lucky was he to have this boy loved him back? he must have saved earth in his previous life.

"donghyuck, i love you," he whispers into donghyuck's ear, only for the younger to hear.

donghyuck doesn't respond, but he grips mark's hand tightly, giving him a short look in the eye, and it's enough to make mark's entire being melt into a puddle.

__________________________

mark and donghyuck had entered the 127 dorm where all of nct were, with mark's arm casually draped around donghyuck's waist. some gasps were heard here and there but most of them already knew what was going on. i mean, mark did ask for advice from 127, and donghyuck did go to the dreamies, so it didn't really surprise them much.

what really surprised donghyuck was that the moment they'd stepped into the dorm, they were met with "congratulations" being yelled from each and every direction. mark didn't hesitate to smile that smile of his that made donghyuck go weak in his knees.

it had been decided that donghyuck was going to shift back to the 127 dorm, and that of course he would be sleeping with mark.

"mark hyung..." donghyuck called over weakly from the bathroom in their shared bedroom.

"hm?" mark hummed back, walking over to the bathroom to see what was wrong. he didn't know if he'd made the right choice or not, because he was sure he would have fainted.

donghyuck was sitting on the floor, his shirt half taken off, face burning a deep red with a pout on his face.

"i can't move," donghyuck whined. mark slapped his forehead as he remembered that the younger was still having a fever, of course he wouldn't be able to bathe by himself.

"i'll help you, just give me a moment," mark heads out to grab the younger's clothes from the wardrobe before heading back into the bathroom.

it was hard not to let his thoughts run wild while he saw donghyuck shirtless. he had helped donghyuck wash his hair, leaving his body to himself. when the younger was done, mark helped him into a new set of clothes before carrying him bridal style to the bed.

it was then that donghyuck realised that mark had pushed their beds together to form a somewhat queen-sized bed. mark was about to leave to turn off the lights when donghyuck grabbed his wrist from behind.

"where are you going?" he muttered weakly. mark chuckled at his actions, reaching a hand to pat donghyuck's head in an attempt to reassure him.

"i'll just go turn off the lights, be right back," mark said before he sprinted over to the other end of the room to turn off the lights, before sprinting back to where donghyuck laid on the bed.

he climbed into bed slowly, not wanting to disturb the younger. when he was finally in a comfortable position, he brought donghyuck's head towards his chest, draping his arm lazily over donghyuck's waist. the younger had already fallen asleep, snoring softly as he nuzzled further into mark's embrace.

a smile makes its way onto mark's face as he gazes lovingly at the younger. he reaches a hand up to trace donghyuck's face, moving from his eyes to his nose, to his lips, and to the moles on his skin.

"so beautiful..." he mutters to nobody in particular, his heart hammering noisily in his chest. he leans in to place his lips on donghyuck's forehead, his lips lingering there for a little more than a minute.

mark doesn't know how long he'd spent staring at donghyuck, but he soon finds himself falling asleep to the sound of donghyuck's soft, consistent snoring. just before he completely goes into sleep, he thanks no one in particular that donghyuck was finally back by his side. that night, they both go to sleep with a smile on their faces.

 

when donghyuck wakes up in the morning, its already bright outside, and he feels so much better. he opens his eyes sleepily, looking up slightly to see mark sleeping soundly. his eyes follow mark's arm to see it around his waist, the other under his own head. he can't help smiling to himself, as his hand slowly makes its way onto the older's face.

his fingers slide across mark's smooth skin, and he caresses the older's cheeks. his heart thumps loudly, and he wonders if the older can hear it. sure he had been shocked when mark had confessed the day before, but he wouldn't deny that he'd been dying for that to happen. the past few weeks without mark had been too much for him, and he'd honestly even thought of leaving nct for good.

he smiles to himself, glad that he didn't go through with that decision. if he'd done that...who knew where he and mark would have ended up?

mark let out a soft groan as he opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the brightness.

"good morning hyuck," he mumbled softly before pulling donghyuck nearer to him. he rested his chin on donghyuck's head, bringing the younger's head to his chest.

donghyuck could hear mark's heart picking up speed.

"you hear that? that's how nervous you make me," mark chuckled, his voice almost an octave lower than usual. donghyuck blushed a deep red at how deep mark's voice was, groaning slightly at how attractive it was, which in turn made mark's cheeks turn a darker shade of red.

donghyuck only nodded in response, refusing to let mark see his flushed cheeks as he buried his face in the older's chest.

 

when they're both finally up and fully awake, they decide to spend the entire day in bed, watching a movie. donghyuck is cuddled up against mark as mark tries to focus on the movie. keyword, tries. mark looks at donghyuck from the corner of his eye, and sees the younger looking up at him too. his cheeks flush red.

"shouldn't you be focusing on the movie?" he manages to stutter out.

"then shouldn't you be focusing on the movie too?" donghyuck says confidently, raising an eyebrow.

mark doesn't reply because he knows that the younger is right.

mark stares deep into donghyuck's eyes, and donghyuck feels as if his soul is being searched. it gives him goosebumps, and the way mark stares at him just makes his stomach do millions of somersaults.

mark doesn't know what took over him, but he feels the self-control he always prided himself on having slowly dissipate. his eyes flickered from donghyuck's eyes to his lips for a moment, wondering what the younger's lips tasted like. he leans in towards donghyuck slowly, eyes rapidly switching back and forth between his eyes and his lips.

donghyuck feels mark's breath on his face, and he doesn't move away. in fact, he slowly moves his face nearer to the older, eyes never leaving his face.

mark stops just right before their lips meet, gulping as he lifts a hand up to cup donghyuck's face. he hesitates for a moment, not wanting to rush the younger into this.

"hyuck, can i?" mark gulps, eyes taking in the sight of the younger.

donghyuck nods almost immediately, all the while never breaking the eye contact.

mark closes the distance between them, placing his lips softly on the younger's. 

at first nobody moves as the two slowly take in the feeling of the other's lips on theirs. 

their eyes naturally close as mark deepens the kiss. donghyuck reaches his arms to hook it around mark's neck, and mark wraps his around donghyuck's waist, pulling the smaller towards him. donghyuck licks mark's bottom lip, causing the older to open his mouth in slight surprise. donghyuck doesn't hesitate to slip his tongue in, and mark feels millions of butterflies in his stomach. donghyuck moves a hand up to grab at mark's hair, tilting his head to the side to give mark more access. mark groans at the light tugging of his hair, and the two press themselves even closer to the other.

donghyuck's lips taste just like what mark thought it would. a mixture of donghyuck and that all too familiar mint tooth paste that they shared. mark lightly sucks on donghyuck's bottom lip, causing the younger to yelp in surprise. it doesn't take long for him to regain his composure as he kisses back with the same amount of ferocity and desire.

their first kiss isn't what mark expected. he revels in the feeling of the younger's soft lips against his own, and even though it isn't magical like what's stated in books, he still feels butterflies in his stomach. 

 

when they finally pull apart gasping for air, their lips are wet with saliva and swollen. one look at donghyuck's slightly swollen lips and mark feel's himself about to lose self control all over again. he looks at the boy in front of him, eyes half lidded, panting. the sight is so breath taking mark swears he's about to stop breathing just by looking at the male in front of him. he grabs donghyuck into a hug, the younger still breathing heavily against his chest.

mark's heart begins to swell in happiness, and he leans down to lean his forehead against donghyuck's.

"i love you," he breathes out shakily.

donghyuck was beyond happy. he didn't know what he did to deserve to feel this blissful. he didn't know what he did to deserve mark. he felt his chest tighten, and he was sure. he locked eyes with mark, mouth opening to tell him what he'd been longing to say.

"i love you too hyung."

mark felt everything around him quieten, and all he could see or hear was the younger. he smiles a smile so wide that it hurts, but he's too happy to notice it. he hugs the younger, donghyuck melting into his embrace.

at that moment, everything felt so right. it was the right moment with the right person, and right then, he knew he was home.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> markhyuck is finally official!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> personally my fav chapter thus far hahhaha

it had been a week since mark and donghyuck had kissed for the first time. right now, they were finally free from their schedules for the day and needless to say, they were spending it together.

donghyuck was sprawled across their joint beds, scrolling aimlessly through the internet. mark on the other hand, who had suddenly taken an interest in astronomy, was reading a book that he'd bought the day before, sitting upright with his back against the wall.

mark comes across a certain page that looks extremely similar to something he's seen before. he brings the book up next to donghyuck's face. reaching a hand out, he places his fingers under donghyuck's chin, forcing the boy to look at him. said boy's eyes widen in surprise and he freezes on the spot. just when donghyuck begins to think that the eye contact is becoming awkward, mark turns his head softly to right so that his left cheek is facing mark. mark places the book on the bed, eyes flickering back and forth between donghyuck's face and the book.

donghyuck furrows his eyesbrows in confusion.

"hyung, are you okay-"

"shush," mark only shushes him, eyes still rapidly looking back and forth. he reaches a finger up, placing it on donghyuck's cheek. its cold because of the air conditioner that is on, but donghyuck feels the heat rushing to his face at the older's sudden actions.

mark shudders at how cold donghyuck's skin is, and sends himself a quick reminder to throw a jacket at the younger once he's done with his task. he starts with the mole nearest to donghyuck's eyes, and moves it slightly to the left, down and to the right, and up again, forming a small box. he then trails his finger down donghyuck's face to the mole on his jaw, and down to the ones on his neck. he sticks his tongue out in concentration and donghyuck resists the urge to just lean forward and to capture the older's lips with his own.

the feeling of mark's fingers on his skin causes goosebumps to appear and donghyuck swears he's about to melt into the older's touch. he lets out a soft whimper when mark's finger leaves his skin, eyes shining as he looks into donghyuck's eyes.

"hyuck, you have a little dipper on your skin," he excitedly says, showing donghyuck the picture of the little dipper in his book. donghyuck raises an eyebrow. he has no idea what a "little dipper" is but seeing mark so excited over his moles causes him to resign to his fate and to listen to mark ramble on and on about constellations.

when mark is done, he sees donghyuck beaming warmly at him, and he blushes, reaching his hand behind his head to scratch at it awkwardly while biting his lip.

"you must be bored listening to me talk about this huh?"

donghyuck's eyes widen and he lets out a shout before he realises it.

"no! don't stop. i love it when you're...you," he smiles sheepishly, running his fingers through his hair.

mark gulps and the word "cute" flashes in his head, a siren going off in his head as well.

but he chooses to go on talking about constellations, knowing that donghyuck would accept his tiny quirks here and there. when he finishes talking about the leo constellation, he sees the younger pinching his own cheeks to keep himself awake. mark chuckles at the sight of the cute male before him, struggling to stay awake, and his heart warms at the fact that the boy had been willing to force himself to stay awake just to listen to him ramble on and on about stars.

"hyuck, you can sleep first," mark reaches a hand out to entangle his fingers in the younger's hair.

"noo, i want to hear you talk..." donghyuck grumbles, pouting as he rubs his eyes.

"we can continue tomorrow. now let's get you to sleep," mark says, reaching to help donghyuck into a more comfortable position.

donghyuck unwillingly pulls the blanket over himself, turning to face mark.

"goodnight hyung," he mumbles, softly pulling mark's head down to lightly peck him on the lips before letting him go. mark smiles to himself and leans down to place his lips on donghyuck's forehead, muttering a soft "goodnight baby" before pulling away.

it isn't long before mark hears soft snores coming from the younger male beside him, lips slightly parted. mark thinks about his times with donghyuck, and decides that during the short holiday of 1 week that they are given next week, he would introduce donghyuck to his parents. he's confident that his parents will love donghyuck as much as he loves him, but then it dawns on him.

how was he supposed to introduce donghyuck to his parents when he hadn't even asked the younger to be his boyfriend?

 

______________________________

the next morning, mark wakes up slightly earlier than donghyuck, slipping out of the younger's grasp. he hears donghyuck shuffle slightly but he doesn't wake up much to mark's relief, and he continues on his way our of the room as quietly as possible.

the moment he steps out of the room, he sees jaehyun on the couch watching the tv and taeyong in the kitchen preparing breakfast. he hastily makes his way over to taeyong. taeyong sees the younger walk into the kitchen and turns off the fire as he turns around to pour a glass of water for himself.

"why are you up so early mark?"

mark fumbles with his fingers before he finally tells taeyong why he's out of bed where donghyuck is and where he wants to be.

"hyung, i need your help."

after settling the 127 hyungs, he immediately asks for U and the dreamies to help him in his plan.

when donghyuck wakes up, the space next to him is cold and empty and he frowns at the realisation that mark isn't in bed with him.

"mark hyung...?" he calls out softly, but doesn't get a reply. he hears an all too familiar laugher outside and chuckles slightly before getting off the bed to walk towards the kitchen.

when he reaches the kitchen, he sees mark with an apron on, and pancake batter all over his hair. how he manages to do that, donghyuck doesn't know, but it just makes him for deeper in love with the older.

taeyong whos standing next to mark spots donghyuck at the entrance of the kitchen, and donghyuck rapidly brings a finger up to his mouth to tell taeyong to not expose his presence. taeyong smirks and nods before continuing his conversation with mark.

donghyuck bites his lip as he tip toes over to where mark is nervously trying to flip over a pancake. when mark does successfully flip the pancake, he reaches out to wrap his arms around the older's waist, making him let out a shriek of surprise. mark quickly turns off the fire in fear of burning his one and only perfect pancake, knowing full well who it was behind him.

he turns around with a knowing smile on his face to see donghyuck who's equally smiley.

"well good morning to you too babe," he pecks donghyuck's forehead. donghyuck closes his eyes in satisfaction and whispers back a "good morning."

cough.

"i'll just casually excuse myself right now, so see yall later," taeyong smirks as he walks out of the kitchen to plop himself down on the couch next to jaehyun.

the two boys blush and mark reaches a hand out to grab a plate, transferring the pancake he'd just made onto it.

mark carefully adds butter and maple syrup into the pancake, bringing it to donghyuck's face.

"pancake with butter and maple syrup, just how you like it," he grins his stupid smile, causing donghyuck to chuckle before he grabs mark towards the table.

"give me a moment, i'll just go wash up," donghyuck says before sprinting towards the bathroom and back in a span of less than 3 minutes.

donghyuck cuts a small piece of the pancake, dipping it in the maple syrup and butter before sending it straight into his mouth. he wouldn't say that it was the best pancake he'd ever had in his life, but yes thats what he's saying.

"how's it?" mark asks, an expression of worry on his face. it was his second attempt at cooking because the first time he'd almost ended up burning the dorm down, and what if the pancakes weren't to donghyuck's likings?

but the moment he sees donghyuck's smile, the worry goes away.

"it's perfect," donghyuck leans in to wrap his arms around mark, "thank you, hyung."

mark is stunned for a moment but he chuckles and reaches a hand up to pat donghyuck's head.

breakfast, or that one pancake, is eaten in comfortable silence. once he's finished, donghyuck pesters mark to go out on a date with him, but mark refuses reluctantly, saying that he has some lyrics to finish writing. donghyuck finds it suspicious but doesn't question, knowing how hardworking the older is.

mark heads out soon after, and donghyuck is left sitting on the bed. he turns to bury his face in mark's pillow, burrowing himself into mark's scent. he closes his eyes, and all of a sudden he's missing mark. he grumbles under his breath about how idiotically hard working mark is, and suddenly thinks of the idea to surprise him at work.

all of a sudden the door to his and mark's room bursts open, and he peeks up from underneath the covers to see jaemin at the door. jaemin flashes him a smile before walking over to sit on one end of the bed.

"hyuck, let's go out! the weather's too good for you to be cooped up in this room," jaemin says as he tries to pull the covers off of donghyuck.

donghyuck whines.

sure going out sounded great, but being wrapped up in blankets and spending the day in a bed which smelled just like mark sounded like a better idea.

"i'm tired..."

jaemin doesn't even give donghyuck a choice as he goes to donghyuck's closet to grab an outfit for him. he picks out a nice white dress shirt and donghyuck's favourite pair of black skinny jeans. he drags the whining male off the male, and shoves the clothes to him before shouting a "dress up nicely!"

donghyuck rolls his eyes at his bestfriend, but goes on to change into the clothes he'd picked out for him. he then proceeds to draw on his eyeliner, using just a little bit of makeup.

when he steps out of his room all dressed up, jaemin gawks at him, letting a "damn hyuck" slip out of his mouth.

jaemin smirks to himself and imagines mark's reaction.

first donghyuck get's dragged to an arcade, where they compete to earn more tickets than the other. needless to say, donghyuck wins jaemin at most of the games, causing the latter to pout.

"mark better thank me for letting you hurt my pride like this later..." donghyuck hears jaemin mutter to himself, but he brushes it off.

at the counter where tickets can be exchanged for a price, donghyuck examines the options available. his eyes settle on a star plushie, and he grins before excitedly asking for it in exchange for the tickets.

 

"jaemin, can we stop by the studio? i want to give this to mark," donghyuck blushes, smiling to himself as they walk side by side to who knows where. the sun is already beginning to set, and jaemin looks at his phone. he notices a particular text that gives him the answer to donghyuck's question.

"okay, let's go stop by the studio now," he grins cheekily at donghyuck.

throughout the walk to the studio, donghyuck suddenly feels excited to see mark, and he can't wait to see look on the older's face when he gives him the plushie. he walks with a certain bounce in his steps, and jaemin rolls his eyes while shaking his head at how whipped donghyuck is for the older.

when they reach the outside of the recording studio, donghyuck realises that the lights are off and that the door is locked. he spots a small post it at the door knob and picks it up to look at it.

head to the practice room, is scribbled in mark's forever messy handwriting that donghyuck loves. for a minute he worries that the older is overworking himself again, and he hurriedly sprints over to the practice room with jaemin right behind him.

"mark hyun-" he slams open the door, and sees that the lights are off. but that isn't what catches donghyuck's attention. he sees candles on the floor purposely put in the shape of a heart. photos of him and mark were pasted on the walls of the practice room, and he recognises himself from a good 5 years ago. theres a picture of mark and him when they were still trainees, and one from when they had just debuted, and one that they had taken just a few days ago. the room was decorated with fairy lights and balloons.

and mark standing right smack in the middle with a large bouquet of flowers in his hands.

donghyuck feels jaemin give him a slight push from behind, causing him to trip over his own feet as he continues to gape at the sight before him. he slowly realises whats happening and walks over to mark in an awkward manner. when he finally reaches the where the older male is standing, he sees mark nervously fumbling with his fingers and the ribbon tied around the flowers. mark is biting his bottom lip, and although he knew it would ruin the moment, he feels the slight temptation to lean forward to peck the older's lips.

donghyuck raises an eyebrow at mark.

"hyung, whats this?"

mark takes a deep breath before he opens his mouth to speak.

"hyuck i really don't know how to say this without sounding sappy, but you've been in my life since the first day i stepped into seoul and i really don't regret signing up for the auditions. you give me hope, you give me light, you give me home, and you're always there for me no matter how much i mess up. thank you for loving the imperfect me, and for accepting all my tiny quirks and massive flaws," mark pauses to chuckle at his own words, moving forward to get closer to donghyuck.

donghyuck feels tears welling up in his eyes, and he lets soft whimper out of his mouth.

"hyung..."

"hyuck, i've hurt you along the way, and yet you're still here with me today," he gulps, looking straight into donghyuck's eyes, "i don't deserve you. but i still want you. i love the way your eyes sparkle whenever you see a plushie that you want, i love the way you sleep, your lips slightly parted while you cuddle up to me, i love the way your eyebrows furrow when you're upset, i love the way you light up the room with your radiant and beautiful smile. i love your voice, i love your personality, i love everything about you," he pulls donghyuck towards him,

"i love you lee donghyuck. will you be my boyfriend?"

donghyuck doesn't hesitate to nod his head, tears already making their way down his face. he nods his head so furiously, he's sure that he's going to have a headache later. but he doesn't care.

mark smiles so wide, he's sure that it's going to hurt later. but he doesn't care.

neither of them cares about anything else other than the fact that they have each other.

mark spreads open his arms, and donghyuck immediately dives into his embrace, burying his head in the crook of mark's neck. mark in turn buries his face in donghyuck's hair, the smell of the younger boy strangely calming down his previously racing heart. they pull apart to look each other in the eyes lovingly, and mark swears he sees the entire universe in the younger's eyes.

donghyuck wraps his arms around the older's neck, and mark wraps his around donghyuck's waist, joining the two of them by the hip.

donghyuck tugs at mark slightly, pulling their faces closer together. they stop right before their lips meet, and they stare deep into each's other's eyes. mark places his forehead on donghyuck's.

"hyuck, i love you, so much."

this only causes donghyuck's smile to widen.

"i love you too, mark hyung," he whispers before he closes the gap between them.

mark reaches his free hand up to support donghyuck's head from behind. donghyuck feels mark smiling into the kiss, and he himself smiles as deepens the kiss. they both tilt their heads slightly to give the other more access, and even though its a heated exchange, it isn't filled with lust or desire. it's just filled with pure love, and donghyuck is thankful for mark. he's thankful that he has mark in his life.

mark is thankful that he has the entire universe in his hold. he tightens his hold around donghyuck's waist, pulling apart only to bring donghyuck's head to his chest. he knows donghyuck can hear his heart picking up pace, but he wants him to hear it. he wanted donghyuck to know how much he meant to the older, and how much he treasured him. 

 

"taeyong hyung i can't see anything!"

"renjun shush, you're being too loud..."

"lucas stop pushing..."

"ah miAnhe!"

"sh!"

mark and donghyuck look up at the door, before looking to each other, chuckling. this was nothing new, and they were already used to it by now.

mark lets go of donghyuck, pulling him towards the door by his wrist. he puts a finger to his mouth, signalling to donghyuck to keep quiet. donghyuck realises his plans, and smirks knowingly. the two boys grin cheekily at each other, and for that one moment they return to the how they were a few years ago when they were still kids, constantly playing pranks on the hyungs (which were of course donghyuck's ideas). mark presses down on the door knob and opens the door, pulling himself and donghyuck back to avoid falling under the other guys. the 16 boys leaning on the other side of the door fell onto the floor, only lucas standing at the back with a dumbfounded look on his face.

he bursts out laughing at the plight of the rest, a tear manages to slip out.

"lucas stop laughing," johnny lightly smacks lucas' head after getting off the floor, but he himself is also laughing.

soon everyone is laughing, and mark turns to look at the younger. donghyuck is laughing like there's no tomorrow and mark feels warmth seep through his heart at the sight of the laughing male. their fingers are still intertwined, and mark can't seem to tear his eyes off the younger. he closes his eyes and tugs lightly at donghyuck's hand, to which the younger softly tugs back too.

mark pulls donghyuck slightly towards him, leaning down a little to whisper in his ear.

"how about we get out of here, boyfriend?"

donghyuck blushes a deep red at the new name, but he nods.

mark flashes him a toothy smile, before the two quietly slip out to head back to the dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anddd thats the end i guess i'm still contemplating whether or not i should write another chapter but for now this is the final chapter!! thnx for reading!! i really appreciate it :)


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